Federico Lombardi, SJ
(ZENIT News / Rome, 05.01.2025).- I am naturally inclined to see more continuity than rupture, more developments than changes of direction. This does not prevent me from affirming that there are new developments, but it means experiencing them as part of the journey of a subject that is broader than individual persons, even than the popes themselves, which is the journey of the community of the Church of the Lord.
I think that a truly great contribution of Francis’ pontificate was his commitment to the “synodality” of the Church. Although he was the first recent pope not to have directly experienced the Council, he clearly assimilated its spirit and committed himself in every way, from the very beginning, to making us all feel that we are a Church on a journey, called to participate in the mission, “outgoing”, with the “joy of the Gospel”, listening to the Spirit, in “discernment”, without fear of looking ahead… I believe this was a lasting step, which came from his reading of the conciliar Lumen Gentium, probably matured with the ecclesial sensitivity characteristic of Latin America. Perhaps we can say that it is right to see this new aspect of his contribution to the history of the Church as linked to the fact that he was the first Latin American pope and that he lived according to Ignatian spirituality: a Church on a journey, seeking and finding God’s will in all things, in the call to mission to proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
Perhaps I would point out some aspects of his personal “spiritual” life. When I asked him how he explained his new and extraordinary energy – unexpected by me – in facing his service as pope, undertaking long and tiring journeys despite not having a robust and healthy physique, living without sparing his strength in a whirlwind of daily commitments, responding with original creativity to the many new demands of his ministry… he replied immediately that it was “the grace of state”, that is, the grace given by God to those who have received a mission from him, a new state of life. I have no doubt that he truly believed this. Especially in the early days of his pontificate, those who saw him at Santa Marta were struck by the long periods of silent personal prayer in the chapel. He also had the uncommon gift of always sleeping well and deeply; he went to bed early so that he could pray early in the morning without being disturbed.
Some were almost amazed by his wonderful letter Gaudete et exultate on the call to holiness for all, even in ordinary life, or by his last encyclical Dilexit nos, which reveals his deep devotion to the Heart of Jesus. But these were some of the fruits of his great prayer, of his personal relationship with God, which, as Father General testified, was his first recommendation to the Jesuits. Personally, I was also struck by his singular commitment to never watch television, probably out of a radical desire to guard his gaze, his mind and his heart…
Every pope’s style of government is different; it depends on and manifests his personality, his history and his experience. And it is right and good that this should be so: variety can always be a way of enriching ecclesial life, relationships with people and with the population, and the ways of proclaiming the Gospel and of being missionary. Pope Francis’ style was very personal, that is, very free from previous customs or habits, both in his way of communicating and in his way of governing. After all, the task of “reform” had been explicitly entrusted to him by the cardinals who elected him pope. Francis was a courageous pope, who did not stop for fear of making mistakes. As he has said many times, he set many ‘processes’ in motion without knowing precisely what the outcome would be, but he did know the direction, trusting in the guidance of the Spirit. This obviously caused quite a few problems for several of his collaborators and was not always appreciated by everyone. However, on balance, he certainly had many positive aspects, especially in presenting a new face of the Church and the papacy, free from the burdens of constraints and traditions that needed to be overcome.
In his pastoral relationship, Francis’s “charisma” was that of “closeness”. People felt close to him, without distance or barriers, because of his concrete, simple and direct language, without the pretence of always being precise and exhaustive, but eager to dialogue with everyone, to reach everyone, even participating in popular television programmes. In some respects, I would say that there was almost a “crescendo”.
At the beginning of his pontificate, interviews were a real rarity; at the end, they were almost a flood. Personally, I was able to follow several of his meetings with important political and ecclesiastical figures closely. Francis had an extraordinary gift for a simple, sincere, direct and cordial personal approach, which made me understand what he meant by the expression he loved, the “culture of encounter”. This allowed him to open doors that were sometimes unexpected and very important, such as in his relationship with the Muslim world, where he made undeniable progress. When we meet, we can then walk in the same direction and try to build a more fraternal, welcoming and just society, a worthy common home, a hope for eternal life.
Thank you for reading our content. If you would like to receive ZENIT’s daily e-mail news, you can subscribe for free through this link.
